Dehydrating apparatus.



P. TH STARE.

DEHYDRATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION 1 1mm we. 17, 1908.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911 amvan ao'c Han/t T Siam awe 151mg Hll " UNITED STATES PATENT ornicn.

FRANK TEMPEST STARE, OF WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN DEHY- DRATIKG C0,, 0F WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF W-ISCOQNSIN.

I DEHYDRATIN G APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK T. STARE, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVaukesha, in the county of \Vaukesha and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dehydrating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. 4

The object of my invention is an improvement in dehydrating apparatus of the kind described and shown 1n my'latent N 0.

872,026 granted Nov. 26, 1907.

' 1111' the apparatus therein disclosed, the substances to be dehydrated are laid on trays, which are stacked in trucks, substantially fitting a long tunnel, one truck being introduced at one end of the tunnel as another truck is being taken out at the other end. \Varm, dry air is introduced into said onions, cranberries, currants, etc.

The-simplified aparatus consists of a tunnel throughwhich the trucks, loaded with trays, are fed in the usual way, the dry air being drawn through the tunnel in the opposite direction from the movement of the trucks. I am aware that there is no novelty in this method of operation per 86, nor would it be sufficient alone to perform an eflect-ive dehydration of the substances, at least within a reasonable time, because a large part of the air would simply flow over the substances 011 the trays without passing therethrough or penetrating the same sufliciently to withdraw the water expeditiously.

I have overcome this difliculty, however, by so proportioning the vertical spaces between the solid ends of the stacked trays that the Lcombined area of such spaces in each tier is considerably less than that of the combined Speciflcation of Letters Patent. Application filed August 17, 1908.

the cleats 11. which are so spaced as to leave Patented Mar. 14,

Serial No. 448,826.

spaces between the material on the tray [)(UOIUS and the tray bottoms above.- The consequence of this is, and herein lies the essence of my invention, that the air travels at an increased velocity as itpasses through the spaces between the ends of the trays, and immediately thereafter spreads out in the larger space and is diverted from a straight path and flows upwardly and .(lownwardly penetrating into the material lying on the tray bottoms, both from below and above, whereby substantially the same excellent results are obtained 'as by first passing the air downwardly through the trays and then reversing its direction and sending it upwardly therethrough. I The invention is illustrated in the ac companying drawing, in which,

Figure -1 is a partial longitudinal section and partial elevation of the tunnel, showing I the pipe connections, blower and heater. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tunnel, 75 the airwpipe and connections not being shown. Fig.- 3 is a plan view of one of the trays. In both Figs. 1 and 2 the trucks are shown as charged with trays. 1 represents the tunnel, which is built of brick or concrete, and is. provided with a' track, sunken in its floor. One end of the tunnel is closed by a door 3, and the other by a similar door 4. Near the door 4 is an air inlet 5, while near the other door 3, is an outlet 6, the air being drawn through the tunnel by the blower 7. in the opposite direction to that in which thetrucks are fed through. After passing through the tun nel, the air is passed through the heater 8x90 and returned tot-he tunneL The trucks 9'2 are provided with \\-'heels, which run on-the aforesaid track, and cousist of an open. frame-work 10,

to substantially spared trays 12, which carry thezsubstances. dehydrated. The trays consist ofa solid board frame-work 13, and a reticulated bottom ll, of wire-gauze or the like. They are supported in the trucks, as I have said, on-

a certain distance hetween theivertical end s of the trays,=as *shown 'at 215, Fig. The combined area of these spaces 15 in each 1 preferably of wood,of ay size I tier of trays is not more than oncfourth as great as the combined area of a cross section f of the spaces between the material on the trays and the tray bottoms above.

To prevent air from passing along the walls of the tunnel outside the trucks, the s top of the tunnel is provided, at intervals equal-to the length of a truck, with depend ing flaps 1(1 of felt or the like, and thebottom of each track has at one or both ends similar depending flaps 17, which close the apertures between the bottom of the trucks E and the floor. Either the sides of the trucks or the walls of the tunnel are likewise provided with packing strips 18 to close the spaces there.

The operation is as follows:Assuming the tunnel to be filled with loaded trucks, introduced at the door 3, air is sucked out form nopart of my present invention which the trays between their ends, andmeans to force air through of the outlet (3 and, after passing through f the heater 8, is reintrodinzed into the tunnel at the inlet 5. In some case fresh air may be used instead of the all coming from the tunnel. The air entering the tunnel at the inlet. 5 flows laterally over and under the trays in the truck which stands directly 0p- 1 posite said inlet, and passes through the spaces between the solid ends of the trays of the next succeeding truck. The combined area of these spaces being less than the area. of the' passage. on either side of them, the air moves at a higher velocity in passing througlrtthe said spaces, and it is immediately. thereafter deflected, thus forcing its way into and through the material on the trays in saidsecond true-lo aforesaid packing strips prevent the air from passing around the trucks, and the said operation is performed in each successive tier of trays, until the air, loaded with moisturc, is drawn out at the outlet (3. After a certain time, depending on the nature of the material being treated and on the temperature and humidity of the air, the doors 3 and 4 are opened, a truckis taken out of the door t with the material thereon completely dehydrated and a truck loaded with fresh material is pushed in at the door 3, the line of trucks being thereby advanced by a distance equal to one of them. The operation is a continuous one and is only varied as made necessary by a change in the substances being dehydrated.

Under some conditions as stated, it is unnecessary to use the air in a closed circuit,

as described, outside air being used after having been drawn through the heater. But I themethod and means for supplying the air The the tunnel from the op posite end to that in which the trucks are introduced.

2. A' dehydrating apparatus comprising a tunnel, having an air 'inlet at one end and an air outlet at the other and a track on its floor, trucl-rs substantially fitting said' tunnel and running on said track, trays, having ret ieulated bottoms and solid ends, supported in said trucks so as to leave spaces between their ends, a blower, pipes connecting said blower to said inlet and outlet openings, and a heater in one of said pipes, the "critical spaces between the ends of the trays being so dimensioned-as to cause the airto fiow' more rapidly as it passes through said spaces and consequently. to pass upwardly and downwardly through the tray bottoms.

A deh -'drating apparatus comprising a rectangular tunnel, provided with doors at its. ends and a track in its floor, trucks of substantially the size of th'e tunnel; and pro- \'ided with wheels to run on said track,

cleats secured at'rcgularly spaced intervals to the sides of said trucks, trays, having solid ends and sides and reticulated bottoms, adaptedto be supported on said cleats, the

tra vs being greater than the distance beaniount such that the combined area of the vertical spaces between adjacent; tray ends on a truck'is considerably less than that of the combined area'of the air-passages through the. body of the trucks, and packing stri s to prevent. the air from passing along t e wall of the tunnel outside of the trucks.

vertical height of the sides .and ends ()fSflid tween the adjacent ends of the trays by an oor and provided withtair- In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK TEMPEST STARE. W itncsses:

D. M. ])AVISON,- C. H. "Jaoon. 

